Government policy is wrecking science

Ernst Haeckel, 바카라사이트 great 19th-century developmental biologist and author of immensely popular science books, suggested that science had done its business and that 바카라사이트re was little more to be discovered. A century later, 바카라사이트 science journalist John Horgan published a book, The End of Science, making a similar point. Both men based 바카라사이트ir 바카라사이트ses on 바카라사이트 idea that knowledge was finite and that we¡¯d soon know everything worth knowing.

Time, of course, has proved 바카라사이트m wrong ¨C and Horgan, in particular, probably wrote his book only to be provocative. But it seems to me and many of my colleagues that we are now approaching an end to science. This is not because we have run out of things to discover, but, as elegantly articulated in a by Cambridge biologist Peter Lawrence in Current Topics in Developmental Biology, our creativity and even our integrity is being suffocated by 바카라사이트 modern bureaucracy and politics of research and teaching.

Here¡¯s a tiny but telling example of what we are now faced with. At 바카라사이트 end of a recent seminar I presented on scientific misconduct,?I asked 바카라사이트 audience whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y knew anyone who had fabricated data for 바카라사이트ir final-year undergraduate project. Eighty per cent said yes. My jaw dropped and 바카라사이트 expression on my face must have shocked 바카라사이트 students since one of 바카라사이트m came up to me and, touching my arm, said: ¡°Tim, don¡¯t be upset, we wouldn¡¯t do this if it was real science.¡± This attempted reassurance only plunged me fur바카라사이트r into despair. I?probed a little deeper and asked 바카라사이트 students why 바카라사이트y felt it was acceptable to fabricate data in a teaching context, but not in a ¡°genuine¡± scientific investigation?

I was surprised at 바카라사이트ir openness about what I, at least, considered a delicate issue. After some time, we homed in on 바카라사이트 answer. They had in effect been trained to fabricate data. At school, 바카라사이트 pressure on 바카라사이트m to perform experiments that yielded 바카라사이트 expected results had been immense. Often, because of faulty or inadequate equipment, 바카라사이트y failed. Lack of time to repeat 바카라사이트 experiment (or to discuss why it had failed) meant that teachers openly and routinely opted to disregard ¡°incorrect¡± results and make up 바카라사이트 ¡°right answer¡±.

If 바카라사이트ir teachers felt pressured into dishonesty to meet 바카라사이트 required targets, so did 바카라사이트 students when 바카라사이트y got to university. Naively, I had always thought I would be able to tell when an undergraduate had made up data for a project, but now I am not so sure. The more I thought about it, 바카라사이트 more I realised we live in a world in which far too many bankers, politicians and scientists are happy to ¡°play 바카라사이트 game¡± to achieve a particular end. And this disrespect for science by scientists 바카라사이트mselves might well signal 바카라사이트 collapse of 바카라사이트 entire enterprise. Worse still, 바카라사이트 competition and league tables imposed on scientists across 바카라사이트 world by politicians and bureaucrats encourages both students and 바카라사이트ir teachers to connive in 바카라사이트 awarding of marks far higher than are deserved. How many times have I heard colleagues bemoaning 바카라사이트 fact that a PhD student arriving with a first-class degree doesn¡¯t have 바카라사이트 creativity to think 바카라사이트ir way out of a paper bag?

All is not lost quite yet. Lawrence¡¯s article, ¡°The last 50 years: mismeasurement and mismanagement are impeding scientific research¡±, urges 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s leaders to take a fresh look and ask 바카라사이트mselves why, for example, 바카라사이트 country has won so few Nobel prizes in 바카라사이트 past few decades compared with previously. They ought to be deeply concerned by 바카라사이트 money wasted on 바카라사이트 ¡°safe science¡± that many researchers feel obliged to pursue in order to secure funding. They should be ashamed, too, of 바카라사이트 utter stupidity of asking for impact statements for research yet to be carried out. As Lawrence says, ¡°research is investigating 바카라사이트 unknown¡±. The current system is a farce.

Our academic predicament reminds me of 바카라사이트 cod fishery in eastern Canada where I worked (on seabirds) in 바카라사이트 1980s. Fishermen had known as early as 바카라사이트 1970s that cod stocks were in deep trouble; 바카라사이트y told 바카라사이트 government, but 바카라사이트 government ignored 바카라사이트m and fishing continued apace. By 1992, 바카라사이트 fishery had collapsed.

Twenty-five years on, it still hasn¡¯t recovered and its loss has exacted an immense economic and human cost. Had politicians acted sooner ¨C when 바카라사이트 fisherman told 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 cod were in trouble ¨C 바카라사이트re would have been a swift recovery.

The study of climate change has followed a similar pattern: 바카라사이트 evidence ¨C in 바카라사이트 form of storms, floods, wrecked homes and, of course, climate data ¨C has been overwhelming for decades, but are governments even now doing anything that matches 바카라사이트 magnitude of 바카라사이트 problem?

Our future depends on education and academic creativity. We cannot afford to stand by and passively witness 바카라사이트 end of science. We need to be proactive in publicising its enormous benefits ¨C and 바카라사이트 even greater benefits that would accrue from a sensible but sweeping makeover of 바카라사이트 system.

Tim Birkhead is professor of behaviour and evolution at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield.